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Hi everybody it’s time for your Land and Livestock Report here on the Ag Information Network of the West-I’m Russell Nemetz.

The opioid crisis has struck farm and ranch families much harder than the rest of rural America, according to a Morning Consult survey commissioned by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union, the nation's two largest general farm organizations.

Leaders for the two farm organizations called for more engagement and action in rural America, including encouraging people who know someone affected by opioid abuse to get help.

Just under half of rural Americans say they have been directly affected by opioid abuse, while 74% of farmers and farm workers say they have, the survey showed.

Three in four farmers say it would be easy for someone in their community to access opioids illegally, and just under half of rural adults -- 46% -- say the same.

The poll is a first step in collaboration between the Farm Bureau and the NFU on this issue, the groups said.